Report on
Discussion Forum on Information Services in the Asia-Pacific
and
AGRIS/CARIS in the 21st Century
an Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation

Edited by Michael Ibach and Yvonne Byron

AGRIS/CARIS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

REPORT ON THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL CONSULTATION

4 - 6 NOVEMBER 1996

BOGOR, INDONESIA

List of Acronyms

[Chapter 1]
Recommendation

[Chapter 2]
FAO, WAICENT, AGRIS, CARIS Forestry Information Services for the 21st Century

[Chapter 3]
Activities of the Forestry Department of FAO in Relation to Research and Information

[Chapter 4]
Principles of Abstracting and Indexing as applied by CAB International

[Chapter 5]
Can We See the Forest for the Trees?

[Chapter 6]
Improving Access to Forestry Information: the Experience of FORSPA

[Chapter 7]
IUFRO and Collaboration Possibilities of Enhancing with AGRIS/CARIS

Country Reports:

Bangladesh

China

India

Indonesia

Japan

Pakistan

Papua New Guinea

Philippines

Phillippines 2

SEAMEO

South Korea

Thailand

Vietnam

Western Samoa

[Appendix 1]
List of Participants

FORESTRY LITERATURE IN THE PHILIPPINE

AGRIS DATABASE

Leonor B. Gregorio

UP Los Baņos, Laguna, The Philippines

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The University of the Philippines Los Baņos, started as a College of Agriculture in 1909, followed by the College of Forestry in 1910. Other colleges, institutes and centres were later established. In 1972, UP Los Baņos became the first autonomous unit of the University of the Philippines System.

The University Library consists of the Main Library and twelve college, institute and centre libraries. It has the most extensive collection of agricultural materials in the country and is particularly strong in the plant and animal sciences. At present it is in the process of transition from printed to electronic materials and services and has started computerisation of its collection.

Logically, it was designated the national AGRIS Center, charged with indexing relevant agricultural literature in the country for inclusion in the AGRIS database. The Center has 3 indexers who are subject specialists: one with a master's degree in Agronomy, one in Forestry and one with an undergraduate degree in Home Technology and graduate units in Library Science. Since the 1980s, the Center has had trainees from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq and recently, Papua New Guinea.

SOURCES OF FORESTRY DOCUMENTS

The sources of forestry and related information are spread throughout the country.

Major sources

• University of the Philippines at Los Baņos (UPLB): College of Forestry including Institute of Forest Conservation and Forestry Development Center
• Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD)
• Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB)
• Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI)
• Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)

Other sources

• Gregorio Araneta University Foundation (GAUF)
• Benguet State Uniersity (BSU)
• Bicol University (BU)
• Camarines Sur State Agricultural College (CSSAC)
• Central Mindanao University (CMU)
• Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State Uniersity (DMMMSU)
• Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry (ISCAF)
• Isabela State College of Agriculture (ISCA)
• Mindanao State University (MSU)
• Nueva Viscaya State Institute of Technology (NVSIT)

Types of documents

Documents included in these library databases are monographs including conference proceedings and seminar papers, journal articles, theses and patents.

USES OF FORESTRY LITERATURE FROM DATABASE

On-site users of the various CD-ROM databases for a year numbered 3365; of this figure, 2809 were from UPLB and 556 non-UPLB. We do not have the figures for forestry alone. However, forestry is the 10th most requested topic of inquiry, with 97 inquiries; Plant Science and Production is at the top, with 1968.

Off-campus use, mostly by mail and e-mail, included requests from the Philippines and other regions of the world.